There was a poor Brahmin youth, Chandravarna who went in search of knowledge
and a proper teacher who would impart the knowledge. On one exceptionally
hot day, he sat down to rest under a Ficus tree. He was overcome
with hunger and thirst. That tree
was haunted. In that tree, there was a Brahma Rakshas who was hanging upside
down. It used ask questions to way-farers and if they could not answer correctly,
it would devour them. What is a
Brahma Rakshas? It is actually the spirit
of a dead scholar of high birth. The earth-bound duties of such a scholar
would be to choose a good student and teach him all that he knew. If he did
not do it, he would turn into a Brahma Rakshas which is a very fierce demonic
spirit. It would still retain its high level of learning. But it would eat
human beings. This particular BR was searching for a suitable student to
whom it can impart everything that it knew. To test the level of knowledge,
it would ask a difficult question. As could be expected, nobody could answer.
As a consequence, it had a tummyful of human flesh - but no student. It was getting
fatter and fatter as time went by. The human-based cholesterol was giving
it problems. How long
more? When it saw
Chandravarna, it jumped down and asked a very difficult question. But Chandravarna
gave the correct answer. The Brahma
Rakshas took human form and told him that he was indeed a very learned Brahmin
who did not select proper students and did not teach anyone anything. He
did not dissipate nor impart knowledge. So he became a Brahma Rakshas due
to a curse. He was destined
to ask questions and devour people. Thus he was accrueing more and more sins. Now since
Chandravarna gave the correct answer, he was released from the Brahma Rakshashood. He said that
he would teach all that Chandravarna wanted and would also get him married
to the king's daughter. But there
was one condition. He must sit up day and night and learn everything that
the BrahmaRakshas taught him. And he would teach at a very fast pace. The Brahma
Rakhas did so and whatever he taught, Chandravarna wrote down on Ficus leaves
with his blood. That was the only writing material that he could get. After a number
days, the teaching was completed. Chandravarna
collected all the leaves and went to the nearest town. He was overcome
with sleeplessness, hunger, thirst, and fatigue and fainted in front of a
house. Goats came
by and started to eat the precious ficus leaf notes of Chandravarna.

That house belonged
to the most beautiful and accomplished dancing girl in that town. She took
Chandravarnan inside the house and took great care and nursed him with care,
day and night. Chandravarna
regained his health. One day,
the earstwhile BrahmaRakshas appeared to him in his divine from and told
him that he had to uphold his promise of getting him married to the king's
daughter. He said that
he would use his former powers as a Brahma Rakshas and possess the daughter
of the king. When Chandravarna
came and told him to go, he would release his grip on the princess. He did so
and and princess of the town was possessed. Nobody could make the Brahma
Rakshas go. The king
announced that whoever cast away the Brahma Rakshas would marry the princess
and inherit his kingdom. Chandravarna
went to the palace and commadned the Brahma Rakshas and it left with haste.
The king
gave his daughter in marriage to Chandra Varna. As was the
custom of the day, Chandravarna, being a Brahmin, was asked to marry three
other damsels who belonged to the other three varnas. One of them
was the dancing girl who had given Chandravarna his life and had saved all
his notes. All the four
wives gave birth to children.

Then the
king gave the kingdom to Chandravarna and went to the forests for performing
tapas. Chandravarna
ruled well as a king. When he neared
his end, he called his sons together and told them that since the it was
dancing girl who had given him his life, the son of the dancing girl should
be crowned as the king.

So Barthruhari,
the son of the dancing girl became the king. Chandravarna
died and the eldest son performed the rituals and then went away for performing
tapas. Barthruhari
had a shocking revelation which made him renounce everything and become a
sannyasi. So the throne
came to Vikrama, the third son who was in fact the son who was borne of the
princess. Patti, the
son of the merchant girl became the prime minister.

Vikrama felt
that the kingdom was too small. He wanted
a bigger kingdom with a new capital.

He told Patti
to search for a proper spot to establish a new capital city. It should be
having forests, hills, rivers and many temples. So Patti left on a journey
of exploration.

By and large,
he came to a place which had a temple dedicated to KaLi with Her parivaarams.
He went around the temple and prayed to KaLi.

He saw a
peculiar inscription in the temple.

It said,
'Any man who belonged to any of the four varnas should take a bath in the
pond. Then he should climb up the Banyan tree on the bank of the pond. There
is a litter hanging from one of the boughs. This litter is actually
made up of seven litters which hang one within the other. The man should
cut all the litters at one stroke of the sword so that the litter falls into
the pond. Before the litter touches the water, the man should jump toward
the tip of a spear that was erected at the centre of the pond. He should
jump in such a way so that his top of the head would hit the spear's tip.
If he does so, KaLi would appear before the man and would give him anything
that the man would wish. Furthermore, he would rule over all the countries
of Bharatham'.

Patti decided
that Vikrama should attempt and accomplish this feat.

Patti went
back to Vikrama and told him about everything that he saw.

Vikrama agreed
and they went to the place. When Vikrama
saw the litter, he was aghast. He asked
Patti how it was possible to cut all the seven litters which wre hanging
one within the other individually. Patti told
him to climb up the tree and get onto the litter. He should
put his right foot in the litter and extend and catch the litter's rope with
the left hand. With his extended left leg and right hand he should
swivel himself, so that the litter and himself would go round and round.
This will cause all the ropes and strings to torque with each other become
one thick rope. When it is suitably taught, he must swing the sword forcefully
so that the litter could be cut off with one single stroke. Immediately thereafter,
he must jump upside down toward the tip of the spearhead.

Vikrama did
as was instructed and jumped on to the spear tip.

When his
head touched the tip of the spear, KaLi appeared. She bore the unconscious
Vikrama on Her arms and carried him inside the temple. Patti followed Her
and fell at Her feet and asked Her to bless his king with every boon and
help him in establishing a magnificent city in that place.

KaLi blessed
him and soon after that Vikrama erected the magnificient city of Ujjaini
there with the help of KaLi.

Vikrama became
the king of Ujjaini. Then he went on a tour of conquest and captured all
the countries of Bharatham. Thus he became the Emperor of Bharatham.

In Deva Logam,
the world of the Celestial Beings, there was a furore over who was the best
dancer among the Apsaras, Celestial dancers. The competition
was between Urvasi and Rambha. The Devas
could not decide who was the best. Naradha told
them that Vikrama, the king of Ujjaini was the only one who had the ability
to judge the dancers.

The King
of the Devas sent his celestial chariot to fetch Vikrama. But Mathali,
the charioteer of the gods, did not wish to take Vikrama to his world. So,
before Vikrama could step into the chariot, Mathali took off at super speed.
But Vikrama put his big toe firmly onto the chariot's edge and clung on. Mathali realised
that it was only through sheer superhuman strengh and ability that Vikrama
could cling onto a divine chariot tearing off at such fantastic speed. So
he slowed down and allowed Vikrama to get inside and apologised to him. In Deva Loga,
Vikrama judged the dancers well. He hid scorpions inside bouquets and gave
them to the dancers. Rambha winced while she was dancing, while Urvasi danced
on gracefully.

Rambha had
held the bouquet hard. That had disturbed the scorpions which stung Rambha.
Hence Rambha winced. But Urvasi held the bouquet ever so lightly and she
won the contest.

Devendra
was so elated that he gave a special throne with thirty two mystical steps.
Each step had one statue called padhumai. He told Vikrama, that he would
rule for one thousand years from this divine throne. Mathali took
him back to Ujjaini. Vikrama asked
Patti to set up the throne in the throne room. Then he told
Patti about all that happened.

Patti was
taken aback and said, "O King! You have the good fortune to rule from this
throne for one thousand years. You could have asked a boon so that I could
be your prime minister for the same one thousand years".

Vikrama shamefacedly
admitted his mistake. Patti told
him not to worry about it anymore.

Patti then
went straight to the KaLi temple in the middle of the night. He meditated
upon Her. When KaLi saw this She asked him the purpose. Patti told
Her that since his brother, the Emperor could rule for one thousand years,
KaLi should make him be the minister for the same period. KaLi told
him that She would give Patti two thousand years. But it would
be possible only if the head of a SaarvaBauman was brought; in that case
it was the head of Vikrama.

Patti went
back to Vikrama and told him the story. Vikrama willingly offered his head
which Patti cut off and took to the KaLi temple and demanded the two thousand
years of life. KaLi granted
him the two thousand years.

Patti then
laughed derisively. KaLi asked
him the reason why he laughed. Patti asked
KaLi whether the boon of two thousnad years that She had granted was real
and true. KaLi said it was sure and certain and asked why he had
that silly doubt. Patti told
Her that only a few weeks ago, Devendra and the other devas had given Vikrama
the power to rule for one thousand years. But Vikrama
was lying dead at that precise moment. If the boon given by Devas was proven
to be false, Patti had every right to know the veracity and validity of the
boon given by KaLi.

KaLi smiled
at the audacity and commended the shrewedness of Patti. She gave Vikrama
his life back.

When Vikrama
became alive, he learned about what happened and then pointed out the disparity
between the length of the tenure of Vikrama and Patti. That Pati would be
minister for two thousand years while Vikrama would rule for only one thousand
years.

Patti told
him, "There is something known as Lateral Thinking. Millenia from this time
in the future, there will be a rishi born in the West - from RomaPuri. He
will be known as The Eduvardhana Subha Rishi. This rishi will rediscover
Lateral Thinking and spread it in the world. At that time, the leader of
Bharatham will relearn the process from him. Little will he know that we
already know about that particular method of thinking ourselves. Did not
Lord Vishnu appear as Narasimha to kill Hiranyakasibhu according to his own
rules? Ah! That was Lateral Thinking. Now we will
adopt Lateral Thinking. Let us wear our 'Thinking Thalaipaas'. According
to the devas, you are supposed to rule from that divine throne for one thousand
years. I am going to be the minister for two thousand years. Let us adjust
the system. In each year, you will rule from your throne for six months only.
Then we will go to the forest and be there for another six months. Then we
will come back to the capital and you can ascend the throne and rule for
another six months. This way, we can extend your tenure of imperatorship
for a total of two thousand years. You rule in installments".

That is how
King Vikramaditya came to rule six months from his divine throne and become
a wanderer for another six months, alternatively.

Thus the
'naadaaRu maadham, kaadaaRu maadham' system of Vikramaditya became very famous.